Happy Birthday Minde!!!!

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Technical Sergeant Frank D. Peregory (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on June 8, 1944, at Grandcampe France. His citation reads:

On 8 June 1944, the 3d Battalion of the 116th Infantry was advancing on the strongly held German defenses at Grandcampe, France, when the leading elements were suddenly halted by decimating machinegun fire from a firmly entrenched enemy force on the high ground overlooking the town. After numerous attempts to neutralize the enemy position by supporting artillery and tank fire had proved ineffective, T/Sgt. Peregory, on his own initiative, advanced up the hill under withering fire, and worked his way to the crest where he discovered an entrenchment leading to the main enemy fortifications 200 yards away. Without hesitating, he leaped into the trench and moved toward the emplacement. Encountering a squad of enemy riflemen, he fearlessly attacked them with handgrenades and bayonet, killed 8 and forced 3 to surrender. Continuing along the trench, he single-handedly forced the surrender of 32 more riflemen, captured the machine gunners, and opened the way for the leading elements of the battalion to advance and secure its objective. The extraordinary gallantry and aggressiveness displayed by T/Sgt. Peregory are exemplary of the highest tradition of the armed forces.

Private First Class Manuel Perez, Jr. (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on February 13, 1945, at Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippine Islands. His citation reads:

He was lead scout for Company A, which had destroyed 11 of 12 pillboxes in a strongly fortified sector defending the approach to enemy-held Fort William McKinley on Luzon, Philippine Islands. In the reduction of these pillboxes, he killed 5 Japanese in the open and blasted others in pillboxes with grenades. Realizing the urgent need for taking the last emplacement, which contained 2 twin-mount .50-caliber dual-purpose machineguns, he took a circuitous route to within 20 yards of the position, killing 4 of the enemy in his advance. He threw a grenade into the pillbox, and, as the crew started withdrawing through a tunnel just to the rear of the emplacement, shot and killed 4 before exhausting his clip. He had reloaded and killed 4 more when an escaping Japanese threw his rifle with fixed bayonet at him. In warding off this thrust, his own rifle was knocked to the ground. Seizing the Jap rifle, he continued firing, killing 2 more of the enemy. He rushed the remaining Japanese, killed 3 of them with the butt of the rifle and entered the pillbox, where he bayoneted the 1 surviving hostile soldier. Single-handedly, he killed 18 of the enemy in neutralizing the position that had held up the advance of his entire company. Through his courageous determination and heroic disregard of grave danger, Pfc. Perez made possible the successful advance of his unit toward a valuable objective and provided a lasting inspiration for his comrades.

Private First Class Michael J. Perkins (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 27, 1918, at Belieu Bois, France. His citation reads:

He, voluntarily and alone, crawled to a German "pill box" machinegun emplacement, from which grenades were being thrown at his platoon. Awaiting his opportunity, when the door was again opened and another grenade thrown, he threw a bomb inside, bursting the door open, and then, drawing his trench knife, rushed into the emplacement. In a hand-to-hand struggle he killed or wounded several of the occupants and captured about 25 prisoners, at the same time silencing 7 machineguns.


We just wanted to take a minute today to wish our good friend Minde a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! We hope she has a great day!!!!!!

We’d also like to wish Sonny a VERY HAPPY JUST ANOTHER DAY ON THE CALENDAR!!!!!!!! Sonny doesn’t believe in birthdays and at his age, who can blame him? Out of respect for my elder brother, I won’t have the kids and Maverick sing and make a big deal out of this day. If you want to know how old he is, look at the number on Levon Kirkland’s college uniform.


Various things that were said at lunch with Susan and Aunt Yvonne over Easter Weekend…

Sonny and Teresa Lynn were accidents. – I don’t remember exactly who said this… maybe Aunt Yvonne… probably me

My parents had me so (my cousin) Louis would have a playmate.

“She’s going over to tell them she isn’t paying for their lunch.” – I said this to Susan as Aunt Yvonne got up and went to see Cougar, Allison and Leah (who came into the restaurant right after we had ordered out food. …

Aunt Yvonne told us about how she would babysit Sonny when he was a baby (which was a loooong time ago). She would drive with Sonny next to her in a baby seat that hung on the front seat. I told Susan that she did that so Sonny could hold her PBR and so Aunt Yvonne could keep a back-up cigarette tucked behind Sonny’s ear. It was a simpler time back then so I feel like we shouldn’t judge. For the record, I think Aunt Yvonne denied my version of things… but I’m not sure… Susan and I were laughing too hard to really hear her.

I do feel like my version of things might explain why Sonny didn’t talk until he was in college. When he was a baby hanging out with Aunt Yvonne, she probably said, “Don’t you EVER say anything about this to anyone!” and Sonny, with his short attention span, just heard “Don’t you EVER say anything!”

Honestly, by the time I was done talking, I’m pretty sure Aunt Yvonne denied even knowing Sonny…

Susan asked Aunt Yvonne if I am really her favorite… Aunt Yvonne just looked away and pretended like she didn’t hear the question.

We talked about other things, but since I promised not to talk about any of this on the blog, I feel like I should keep at least some things secret.

Oh… before I go… we did figure out that I do a pretty good impersonation of my cousin Alan doing an impersonation of Aunt Yvonne laughing.

One last thing... I killed a rat in my backyard while cutting the grass yesterday.  There I was, cutting the grass minding my own business when I saw Maverick and Scooby running up and down the fence barking.  That wasn't too unusual, but they were looking up as they were running.  That's when I saw the little sonofabitch running back and forth on the top of the fence.  I went to grab the trench-shovel that I keep on the top of the shed for whenever I want to kill a snake or rat (or Scooby if I finally snap) and went to help.  It looked like the rat was going to make a break for the woods when Scooby jumped up and made him run back my way.  I knocked the rat off the fence and then stabbed it in the neck.  Scooby then picked up the rat until I yelled at him to drop it (he wasn't going to take credit for my kill).  Poor Mavi (he's getting old and can't see like a young pup anymore) was still running up and down the fence trying to find where the rat went.  I tried to call him over, but he was so focused that I couldn't get his attention.  So I scooped the rat up in the shovel and put it in front of his face.  The little jackass picked up the rat and tried to act like he killed it until I yelled at him to drop it.  I then tossed the rat into the woods to let all of its little friends know what happens when you come into my backyard. 

Remember that tomorrow starts out TV countdown!!!!